NBA playoffs: Carmelo Anthony leads Knicks past Celtics

NBA scoring leader fuels New York in series opener with 36 points.

Jeff Green of the Celtics commits an offensive foul against Knicks defender Raymond Felton in Game 1 of their NBA playoff series on Saturday.

By:Brian MahoneyThe Associated Press, Published on Sat Apr 20 2013

NEW YORK—Carmelo Anthony started fast, struggled through the middle, then finished with a flurry.

And the New York Knicks, after knocking the Boston Celtics from atop the Atlantic Division, took the first step toward knocking them out of the playoffs. Anthony scored 36 points, leading the Knicks to an 85-78 victory Saturday in their playoff opener.

“It’s a wonderful feeling to know that we got our first win of the series here on our home court, took care of that business,” Anthony said. “It was real important for us to come out and get this first win.”

The NBA’s scoring leader had 10 quick points and endured a tough shooting night from there before scoring eight points in the fourth quarter, helping New York take a 1-0 lead in a series for the first time since the 2001 first round against Toronto.

“Boston knows Melo and they know he’s not going anywhere, but they’re going to make it as tough as possible for him to score the ball,” Knicks coach Mike Woodson said. “He got off to a good start and then he had that slow middle, and then when he had to pick it up down the stretch, he made the plays that we needed him to make. And I mean, that’s what the great ones do. They figure it out, and Melo’s done that all season for our ballclub.”

Anthony shot only 13 for 29 from the field but made consecutive baskets late in the final period, when the Knicks held Boston to three baskets and eight points.

Game 2 is Tuesday night before the Celtics host Game 3 on Friday in their first home game since the Boston Marathon bombings.

Jeff Green scored 26 points and Paul Pierce added 21 for the Celtics, who badly miss injured point guard Rajon Rondo, committing 21 turnovers that led to 20 points. The Knicks got their hands on the ball at will in the fourth quarter, when Boston shot 3 of 11.

“We had some just bad turnovers tonight,” Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. “If we had those turnovers in any game we probably should lose the game and we did. We were making post passes from the other side of the floor. I mean, those are just not good passes.”

Kevin Garnett had eight points and nine rebounds but shot only 4 of 12 from the field. Jason Terry, another veteran on a young Celtics team, came off the bench and missed all five of his shots.

The Celtics led after three quarters and tied the game for the final time at 72 on Garnett’s basket with 8:13 remaining. Anthony then made consecutive jumpers, and after the Celtics got back within three later in the period, he made a layup and a long jumper that gave New York an 83-76 advantage with 1:21 left.

Green made two free throws and the Celtics double-teamed Anthony, but he fired a pass to a wide-open Kenyon Martin under the basket to put it away with 40 seconds left.

“We just panicked a little bit. We don’t have to do that,” Celtics guard Avery Bradley said. “We have to keep our composure and play the right way. We didn’t.”

The Celtics wore a special patch recognizing the difficult week in Boston following the bombings that killed three people at the Boston Marathon on Monday. Rivers said many players were calling home to check on their families Friday, when the Boston area was in lockdown while authorities searched for the suspect. Rondo, out for the season with a knee injury, was unable to join the Celtics on Friday in New York because he couldn’t get out.

The Boston Fire Dept. Color Guard and FDNY colour guard carried flags onto the court before the national anthem, and Anthony and Pierce addressed the crowd before the game, with a few fans booing Pierce before many others yelled “Shhh!” so he could speak.

“Boston will rise and run again,” Pierce said.

Fans were supportive of Boston but not the Celtics, as Rivers expected. Garnett, whose clash with Anthony in a regular-season meeting resulted in a one-game suspension for Anthony after he attempted to confront Garnett outside the Celtics’ team bus, was loudly booed.

The Knicks were without starting guard Pablo Prigioni because of a sprained ankle, and rookie Chris Copeland went scoreless in his place. The Knicks were 16-2 with Prigioni in the starting lineup during the season.

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